VENGEANCE FIRST GIG
After securing the 5 song demo We began writing more material. Pastor Bob called us into his office. He said, "It is time that you guys started playing shows." We replied, "But we only have five songs." He assured us that was enough.
We knew about an upcoming Show at the Waters Club that featured Christian metal bands. So we asked the headliner (Neon Cross?) if we could play after them. (very late, close to midnight) They said, "Sure, no problem."
The Waters Club was one gnarly place in San Pedro that somehow embraced the Christian metal scene. They wouldn't sell much alcohol but made up for it in ticket sales. It was generally packed on Saturday night.
So we started putting the word out that we were playing the gig. There was already a lot of interest in the band because Larry had left Deliverance, I had left Holy Right, Glen was out of St. James, Martinez had left Prophet and Doug was on the Sanctuary worship team. People knew that we were forming a speed metal band. (Pre thrash)
Normally after the headliner played, everyone was tired and they left to go searching for a Denny's restaurant. But that night was different. Curiosity kept everyone in the club to see this new "speed metal" band.
5 minutes before showtime and I peeked out of the backstage door.
"Wow, everyone is still here," I thought. Of course Pastor Bob was there and our manager and tons of Sanctuaryites. But we kept all rehearsals secret and no one had heard the demo yet. Not even PB.
I can't remember who introduced us, but it was short and sweet. "Without further ado, here's Vengeance." Larry goes into the intro to White Throne, I count it off and the band comes in on the one.
We thrash, we windmill (very rare), we strut, we slobber, snot flies out the nose, we spit and hock loogies. We end with "Beheaded" and throw our guitars on the stage floor and walk off as Martinez screams over and over as he exits the stage.
There was no roar of approval. No encore. It was very quiet...
And we were grinning like possums
STATE OF VENGEANCE RISING ADDRESS
Right off the bat, let's indulge In a little history. Pastor Bob Beeman was the mastermind of Vengeance. He appointed two metal heads to construct the very first Christian thrash band. Roger Dale Martin and Doug Thieme. We hit the ground running and after several auditions secured the original lineup of me, Doug, Larry Farkas, Glen Mancaruso and Roger Martinez. Our name was "Sacrifice" but another band had that name so we changed it to "Vengeance". After one demo tape and an article in White Throne magazine, everyone (Christians metal heads) knew our name. You either loved us or hated us. No in between. We signed the record deal and recorded the ground breaking "Human Sacrifice" album. After a few pressings, a band from Europe claimed they were the original Vengeance and we were imposters. So we quickly added "Rising" and changed all future album covers and merchandise with the new logo "Vengeance Rising". Two USA tours and another album (Once Dead) was all she wrote. Done deal. No more from the original lineup. ================================ My relationship with Martinez ended thirty years ago. On a very good note I might add. Countless people have contacted me about the behavior and declarations of said Martinez. My reply is always the same, "Not interested." To be brutally honest, I could care less about his actions and his version of the band. To this day, I have never watched the video of his version of VR all the way through. If I clicked on it by accident, I quickly moved on without a listen. I have never listened to any songs off any album that he did under the Martinez VR. Never watched any video of him renouncing the Christian faith (I have deleted every video and statement that people have sent me). My choice to bypass the drama. But alas, people filled me in and I shook it off like water on a duck's back. Fast forward to Autumn 2019. For the first time in 28 years, I had a desire to communicate with Martinez. So the search for the original lead vocalist of Vengeance was on like Donkey Kong. To no avail I constructed multi media "Martinez Wanted" ads. I contacted every known source looking and looking. I ended my search when a very reliable source said that he was dead. Left the planet. Uh, okay. But, my final last attempt was a question to the "Vengeance Rising Once Dead Fan" page. WHO WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS MAKE ANOTHER ALBUM WITH ROGER MARTINEZ? There was a response from the members and shared posts but I received no call or text from Martinez. Even if he responded, my first order of business was to say hi and chat. To see where he is at physically and especially spiritually. And go from there. Since then, the original members (minus Martinez) have been eyeing my posts. And they have been monitoring fan interest too. But reluctantly. Not too long ago Doug and Larry and I began a new ONCE DEAD project with Roger Sampson (drums-Precious Death) and Jim Settle (vocals-Hand of Fire). We worked our butts off and flew in and out of LA several times to finish a 4 song EP called "Ghost Tribe". We decided not to go the record company route. So we self promoted social media and got a good distributor, and even gave away a free t-shirt to boot. To our surprise, there was very little interest in Ghost Tribe at all. And we invested a LOT of time and money. To back that statement up, I must ask the members of the "vengeance rising ONCE DEAD fan" page: How many of you bought Ghost Tribe? Come on, please be honest, and raise your hand if you purchased. Thank you Recently the original members (minus Martinez) have been analyzing the possibility of a new Vengeance recording and looking very closely at this VRODF page for real time feedback. Your thoughts and opinions are very valuable to us. Please comment and don't be shy. __________________________________________________________________________ This next statement will come as a shock to you , so put your big girl panties on. The best vocalist in Vengeance was never Martinez. It is LARRY FARKAS. Put that in your pipe and smoke it __________________________________________________________________________My intent the past few weeks was one last effort to contact Martinez and hopefully muster up enough interest to do another Vengeance album. Not to deceive but to get honest feedback. Here is what we want to know~~Is it worth going through all the blood, sweat and tears to produce a new Vengeance album? Which would be the 4 original members with Larry as lead vocalist (Slayer/Metallica style). Only to be shunned by the fans because Martinez is not involved? Do you actually want a new album or do you want to keep the memory of Vengeance sacred? Comment and let us know. BE HONEST Believe me. we are listening.
It was October 24, 1984. My phone rang and it was my dad on the line. "Son," he said. "Your buddies from Brown and Root want you to go to Los Angeles California and work on another paper mill. I think you should go." My thoughts went immediately to the current situation. I had scored a new job in town and just moved into an apartment with Carol my young bride. Was playing local gigs in a cover band that specialized in Van Halen and Ozzy Osbourne tunes. The lure of LA quickly dissolved the thought of enjoying a new apartment and having fun with a copy band. Goodbye Idabel, Oklahoma. So I loaded up the truck and moved to Fontana. (Sung to the tune of the ballad of Jed Clampet) The truck was a 1982 Chevy Silverado. Short bed. All our personal belongings (minus guitar amps) was thrown in the back. And that tells you how much "stuff" we had. Brought one guitar with me and off we went to Pleasant Hill to say goodbye to Mom and Dad and Mama Harris. Mama Harris was my great grandmother who lived across the creek and two pastures away from Mom and Dad's 20 acre ranch. She was my biggest fan and loved to sit on her front porch and listen to me wail away on a Teisco Del Ray guitar and a Sears Silvertone piggyback amp when I was 12 years old. Mom and Dad's house was built on a hill with an open carport. After school they would let me set up my guitar and amp in the carport and crank that Silvertone up to 10. I loved it. Somehow that carport projected the sound where the people of the community could hear it from a mile away. They were assaulted every day with a barrage of Grand Funk,Cream and Deep Purple. Nobody called the police on me thank God. Actually there was not a policemen to call in-that little rural town of 100 people. In those days nobody seemed to mind and it was a welcome relief from the cows mooing and pigs grunting. I really never new that Mama Harris listened until one day I brought over another amp that was owned by a friend. Cranked it up and let her rip. The next day Mama Harris was over at the house and she asked me, "Roger, what happened to your sound? I don't like the way it sounded yesterday." I tripped out. She was really listening. It made me feel good and it still does to this day. So before I left I had to say goodbye to her. I will never forget her holding my hand and saying to me with the utmost love in her heart, "Keep God first in your life and you will be okay and things will turn out for the good". Hmmm. "That was nice", I thought. And I took off.
THE INLAND EMPIRE
It was Halloween night October 31, 1984. My watch said 7:00 pm as I looked at the motel door. "Made it" I thought. It had been a very long and stressful trip from Pleasant Hill to Fontana. I had all my belongings in the back of a pickup truck. And my truck was running so bad that it would not go any faster than 60. When you are out in the desert with 100 miles of nothing in front of you and 100 miles of nothing behind you. It sucks. This was way before cell phones people. But it felt good. And I felt happy. Southern California was so awesome at that time. The economy was booming, people were nice and friendly. The city of Fontana was located about 60 miles inland from the beach and Hollywood. The heart of the metal scene was Hollywood. So many famous clubs like Gazzari's , The Whiskey, The Rainbow bar and Grill, etc.. All the surrounding areas were satellite scenes and venues with a territorial spirit. Especially the Inland Empire. This area of Los Angeles consisted of Fontana, Riverside, San Bernardino and a few others. When I auditioned for Emerald they were a top draw in the Inland Empire already. Glam was king and you looked the part. So did they. And very soon, so did I. There was a fierce rivalry between all the bands in the Inland Empire. I was very surprised. Emerald shared the city of Fontana with another very popular band at the time. They were a pentagram/666 type of band. Can't remember their name. But I felt a spiritual battle very early back in those days. God was grooming me for what was to come later in Vengeance.
SILENT BUT DEADLY
Life on the road with Vengeance was a lot different than most people would ever think. Especially for me. I imagined lights,camera, action, wealth and luxury. Fancy hotel rooms, caviar on crackers, filet mignon and the occasional relaxing massage at a plosh day spa. NOT A typical day in the life————— We all knew that we were late for the gig. And that is not a good feeling because the gigs were crucial for our financial survival on the road. After driving 8 hours straight, we pulled up to the football field at the exact time the opening act finished their set. "Yay! Just in time!! The roadies jumped out and started dragging our gear on to the stage at superhuman speed. (they were used to this scenario by now) We began strapping on guitars and stretching the stiff muscles out To prepare ourselves. In 20 minutes flat, we hit the stage a'running and proceeded to melt faces in the audience of about 500 people. Wham bam, thank you ma'am. After the encore, we quickly exited stage left and made a beeline for the merchandise table. "Hello. How ya doing? Sure, I will sign that for you. Huh uh, that t-shirt costs a lot more than that. And no thank you, I have a wife waiting for me back in LA." Etc... Okay done deal, "let's haul butt out of here."(our next gig was 10 hours away with an album signing party in the afternoon.) We were so tired and hungry. And it was way after midnight. The van had enough gas for a couple hours of travel before a fill up. "There's a gas station. Pull over!" We all jumped out in search of food and drink. To our surprise, this place had no chips, candy or donuts. All that was available were 12 burritos under a heat lamp and boiled eggs in a glass jug folled with pickle juice. —when you are hungry, you are hungry. There was not a single burrito or boiled egg left in the place when we took off. "Mmm mm. Woo hoo! Chow!! About an hour later, I woke up out of my slumber and thought, "Shew wee. We must have run over a dead animal." And worse than that, I felt an unpleasant rumbling in my gut. It grew and grew into a force that I could not hold in. "Hopefully I can tilt it and slowly release this gas without making a sound and waking everyone up." Slowly but surely I felt my stomach empty the gas (about 10 seconds of euphoria) "Success!" Two seconds later and all hell breaks loose. I begin to choke. Folks started waking up. I was in the back of the van and then all of a sudden the sound of a flock of ducks filled the air. "Oh No! Please, this has got to be a bad dream." But it was no dream. It was a brutal reality with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. "White Throne!!!" to be continued...
SILENT BUT DEADLY pt. 2
Admit it... Farts are funny. But no one was laughing at 3:00 am. We were crammed into this van like sardines, which was ripe already from the sweat from the gig. Oh. And that flock of ducks? It was Glen Mancaruso. "Fight fire with fire!" He shouted. Within three seconds a tidal wave of raw sewage permeated the air... *things get a little blurry at this point* When my eyes focus I find myself at a military funeral ~~~"What the heck?" The soldier raises the bugle to his lips and begins to play taps. And a widow begins to cry. And then BAM!!! I awaken with a jolt... What sounded like a high pitched bugle was in real life a forced fart delivered by the grinning Larry Farkas. "Surely that's not going to stink" I say to myself. I count to three. Nothing Ha! Then to my horror, what smelled like burning sulfur from the bowels of Satan hit my nostrils. I feel dizzy and then lose consciousness. Again, I come to my senses. "I never meant to start a war" I thought. Maybe this will all be over soon. All of a sudden, "rackety rack rachety rack rack"". Everyone heard and there was no doubt. It was a wet one. It was WAR!! Martinez had been silent at this point but could stand it no longer. He grabbed his t-shirt and stretched it up over his head trying to form some kind of shield. And he stayed that way for hours. I truly believe that this was the straw that broke the camels back. It was too much stink for him to handle. And he was never the same.... to be continued...
SONG ANALYSIS - Human Sacrifice
Today (per request) I begin a song analysis of each song off the first Vengeance album. We begin with the title track "Human Sacrifice". This is one where the song skeleton was handed to me and Doug by Glenn Rogers. Much controversy and some heated arguments have surfaced about a few of these tracks which Mr. Rogers happily shared with us. So let's back up a bit... The first attempt to build Vengeance was composed of four metalheads whose home church was Sanctuary South Bay. (Pastor Bob) Steve Bertram - drums Glenn Rogers - lead guitar Doug Thieme - rythm guitar Roger Dale Martin - bass The bands name was "Sacrifice" I thought for sure that this was the permanent lineup because things were beginning to come together musically. And we all liked each other as well. But history proves different as we all know. I can't remember why Glenn left the group. He obviously had his reasons so you must take it up with him. Nevertheless, I was disappointed because he is a monster player and everyone called him the "riff meister". Musically, Glen and I were 180* degrees off. I was used to 4/4 timing with no disruptions. Just a steady flow. So I learned quite a bit about "falling down the stairs and landing on my feet" with Glen. But it was still foreign to me and I hadn't quite gotten a handle on it when Glen departed. So without further ado, here we go: To be continued...
SONG ANALYSIS - Human Sacrifice pt. 2
I want to critique each track according to four different viewpoints~ 1. Origins 2. Musical 3. Physical performance 4. Spiritual *prepare for multiple posts , homie From a technical standpoint this song Human Sacrifice was extremely challenging for me to perform. Very quick indeed. The odd timing in the chorus is done at such speed that it snaps like a whip. I am running 32nd notes like a jackhammer in the bridge, etc.. The first notes that anyone heard from Vengeance was without bass, vocals or guitar. Just three drum strikes. But not just any three hits. This was a staple drum rythm used by countless drummers in any genre. We called it the "doo doo pat". In fact there were some Christian metal drummers who were literally possessed by that pattern. (Not naming names). So we decided to ease in the sonic assault with a known groove. Then immediately after this short drum intro , all hell breaks loose. And with only one note. The A. We beat the wink donkus out of it for quite some time. Just to get the blood flowing. Then we introduce the chorus (without vocals) to set the stage for song structure. And we change key to E minor. With no holds barred, we unashamedly present the musical interval called the tritone. Or as some have called it, "THE DEVIL's INTERVAL". This interval was banned by the classical music era (Bach, Mozart, etc..) They thought it came from the pit of hell. In the right context, it will scare the dookey out of you. So those guys never used it. C to F# Woohoo! And then we complete the chorus. This was one of Glenn's riffs. And quite frankly, Doug and I weren't sure that we were playing it correctly. It has that "start and hesitate— then rush it to land on your feet" technique. We knew the notes were correct but the timing we guessed at. (We were close no matter what). Then we come to the bridge with a silent moment before the electric guitar takes off in the E aeolian mode. Now this bridge section was either written by Glen or Larry Farkas. I can't remember. Maybe Larry can clarify that for us. But the background vocals feature the scriptures known as the Lord's supper. Which is the perfect compliment and supporting statement for the song and the entire album. Then BOOM. Back into the chorus, then another verse, back to the chorus. A tag with the bridge and then out with Larry chocking his Les Paul guitar and making it moan like a black snake. Yeah buddy This song still makes me want to jump on the roof of cars. To be continued....
SONG ANALYSIS - Human Sacrifice ~ final observation
The original song skeleton was called “Speed King”. Instead of yelling the word “Human”. Glen yelled “Speed King”. That is all that I remember about that. Eventually, all lyrics on the album were penned by Martinez except for He is God. As the head pastor of Sanctuary Hollywood, he took his sermon notes and created a bible study for each song. And with scriptual references so anyone who was curious could open a Bible and check things out for themselves. We believed that God’s word never goes out void. And it never has. And never will. That was the beauty and the craftiness of Vengeance in a nutshell. Lyrically, the song Human Sacrifice was a tease. Random scriptures tossed about as if not connected. Just enough info to raise the eyebrows and the thought, “What does it all mean?” “Look it up,” we replied. And some did...
SONG ANALYSIS - Burn
Now before we go any further I have to correct a faux pax from my last post. Doug Thieme was both musical mastermind and lyrical engineer for Mulligan Stew. All the way. Wrote the lyrics and given full credit as deserved. But let’s analyze in chronological order. (like listening to the album) Start to finish. So without further ado: BURN This is a very emotional song for me. In so many ways. Especially onstage performance. There was a certain point in our show when we had to bring the audience out of the trance that Martinez created. And the intro to Burn, if done correctly, would get the job done. I led the way and everyone in the band had my back. So cut me some slack, homies. Burn was a powerhouse onstage. Absolutely. I’ve heard many crowds blow the roof off the joint yelling “ BURN SATAN BURN!” Freakin’ awesome. Put your thinking caps on and I will give you a glimpse **** “Thank God, where’s the water bottle ?” I say to myself. “It must be 100 degrees on stage tonight!” Doug and I had made it behind the curtain for a breather. Martinez had about 5 minutes onstage preaching solo and doing his thing. We were dripping sweat. And loving it big time. It is all about drinking water and getting your guitar back in tune. Had plenty of time. Now Martinez had the ability to take a crowd of metal heads by the throat. You could hear a pin drop. No joke. Crazy. Business as usual. And I am pumped.... Vengeance had choreography. We knew where to be at all times. And in 5 seconds I am next on stage. I say to myself, “ Alright dawg. Let’s ease the crowd back in. Be gentle and palm mute those strings. “ I step back onstage as Martinez makes a quick exit at the exact time that I begin the hypnotic rythm of staccato bass notes. My heartbeat locks in with the groove. WHAM All off a sudden, the sound of two jet airplanes erupts from the stacks of Marshalls onstage. My arm hairs stick straight out. Then BAM Complete silence.. I tenderly launch into the intro one last time and I feel a swell of endorphins. “Here we go!!” to be continued....
SONG ANALYSIS - Burn pt. 2
Let’s go into detail on the musical analysis of this one. All time references will be parallel to Roxx Records Gold Disc Edition #3 (see post picture) ie. - bass intro begins at 0:00 A few things need to be pointed out before we begin. Vengeance instantly stood apart in the thrash scene. Why? 1. Christian 2. Blues based (unheard of) 3. Tight as Dick’s hatband 4. Smokin’ live show 5. Musical weight 6. Musical sense of humor 7. Disregard for musical boundaries 8. Disregard for metal fashion 9. We never changed our underwear.... So without further ado: BURN Vengeance hated boundaries. Always took our freedom in Christ seriously. That means bending the rules in music, fashion, stage presence and whoop ti’ doo. * to support that musical fact, we must backtrack to the tune Human Sacrifice. That song (in fact the whole album) begins with “an ending” HS - 0:00 After the doo doo pat, we begin a “trash can” ending with the A note. This is almost always done at the END of a song. We wanted to grab you by the privates and get your attention real quick, so we began with it. Burn was written ass backwards also. As a general rule, the lead guitarist will play the intro to a song by himself and “lead” the band into the song. Forget that homies... I was given the role. And I wanted to get it right. Two jobs: 1: establish the groove 2. establish the harmony to chant “Burn Satan Burn” Let’s talk about groove. The term “headbanger” originated back in 1972 with the Deep Purple song “Smoke on the Water.” It was a natural reflex to bang your head to that guitar intro. It is the perfect bpm (beats per minute) = 114. Pantera’s “Walk” is 118 bpm. We cranked it up a notch~ 138 bpm But wait, there’s more.... We decided to add a tempo change. And then another one. A revolving triplet of tempo changes. It had to fit together and make musical sense. “thank you very much.” (said no bass player, ever) At this speed, to make this thing groove, my only alternative was to downpick a revolving pattern of eighth notes. Non stop and never losing the beat. (I will be picking at 276 bpm) There are two notes that are “pushed” (F G) while you are doing that. Press PLAY 0:00 Loose notes were not going to cut it for me. So I palm muted the strings for a much more percussive sound. Just like the Native American drum beat to “Hey Yah, Hey Yah” The lick is complete after four measures 0:07 Doug and Larry swell in like to two jet airplanes. ( E F E) 0:15 the whole band takes off into the groove and Larry begins a guitar solo (once again, unorthodox—usually reserved for the middle part of the song). This solo presents the blues in all it’s glory. Add the wah wah pedal and Larry’s signature tone is in bedded deep into the musical brain of the listener. 0:30. As an act of defiance, we establish the chorus before the first verse. And Martinez leads the listener into the battle cry. Burn Satan Burn. In your face. 0:43. After the chorus there is a fraction of complete silence. Glen Mancaruso accomplishes this with a single kick (ZZ Top influence) 0:44 we change tempo to thrash metal standards 0:56 we change tempo again (mini breakdown) 1:08 resume original tempo intro groove with verse 1:23. second chorus *important* 1:32 Martinez introduces to the world his unique vocal style. Listen closely to how he handles the word “Burn”. DUDE!! Signature growl homies. Yes! to be continued...
SONG ANALYSIS - Burn pt. 3
Before we go forward, an important musical concept must be understood about the Human Sacrifice album and Vengeance in general. TIMING Most bands use an apparatus called a metronome to stay on time (see post picture). Musicians call it a "click track". Usually it is channeled via headphones into the drummers ears while he is recording. And the song's timing is based on the drummers interpretation of a mechanical or digitally created pulse. That method made it very easy to overdub, punch in and fix mistakes, etc... Plus a host of other things. WE GAVE IT THE MIDDLE FINGER.. Our unique sense of timing was a combination of 4 human hearts. Roger, Doug, Larry and Glen. Martinez was not a part of the equation. We never asked Glen to keep us in time. That was the last thing we wanted from him. Power was more important . And Glen delivered. Big time. No one hit as hard as Glen. That was his role. Everyone was happy with it. LARRY FARKAS WAS THE SPARKPLUG The rest of us interpreted his human pulse. Especially me. In concert, I was given the role of visual timekeeper. Me and Glen were in constant communication on stage. I gave him cues quite often. Only the five of us knew it. You could not tell from the audience. Doug used my cues plus Larry's body language to stay in the groove. And he was on the money. Every night. Try this while doing windmills with 2 1/2 foot of hair on your head. Good luck Larry was Larry. He was the Talent. With a capital "T". And I will fight anybody who says different. We developed this dynamic the old fashioned way. Hard work. I take that back, EXTREMELY hard work. We rehearsed for hours on end. Almost every night except Saturday and Sunday. Or if we were playing gigs. Hours and hours of grueling work. That is why we were tight. Not because we "loved each other" Bands who take the love approach suck a big green pickle. They deserve to fail. Worship teams are the worst. Not going there. Because of the work ethic approach, we became masters of the tempo drag. Which is dang near impossible to do. But we pulled it off in the studio and onstage Every freaking gig. I will expound on that more as we come across it. *Thanks for indulging in this side exposition as we continue our musical appreciation and education. We will resume analysis of Burn next post. Cya then, homies
SONG ANALYSIS - Burn pt. 4
Let’s begin with a quick repeat of 1:32 Martinez introduces to the world his unique vocal style. Listen closely to how he handles the word “Burn”. DUDE!! Signature growl homies. Yes! 1:36: Once again, Glen creates a moment of silence with the kick drum. 2:03: Two major events happen A. Larry begins guitar solo B. Martinez makes an arrangement mistake. Let’s expound on event B. This is a very rare moment indeed. Not that a mistake was made while recording, but that Martinez agreed to leave it in the final mix. Contrary to popular opinion, Martinez was extremely modest. I never saw him change clothes. For that matter I never even saw him without a shirt on. The rest of the band were on the opposite end of the spectrum. I went shirtless on a regular basis. So did Doug and Larry. It was Southern California for crying out loud. Larry never wore a shirt in the summer. In fact, I remember him cruising the malls with nothing on but Doc Martin boots and Calvin Klein underwear. Like night and day Martinez was extremely paranoid about unauthorized pictures of him. If a fan on tour showed him a picture that was not flattering, he would stick it in his pocket and destroy it later. Every time. Here is how it went down: I was not always in the studio when tracks were recorded. I probably missed 20%. In fact, I don’t remember anyone being there when I laid down my final bass tracks, except Dave Hackbarth (recording engineer) and Larry Farkas. I wanted Larry there. If he gave a bass part the thumbs up, I moved on the the next one. Everyone of us congregated in front of the mixing board when it was time to create the final mix, though. Very, very important for all of us to be there. And we were in the process of mixing Martinez vocals for Burn. All of a sudden, right when the guitar solo begins, Martinez begins the third verse. When it was originally recorded , he instantly knew that the 3rd verse was premature and he quickly cut off his vocal attack. But in mix down, it was an obvious blooper and we all laughed. Even Martinez (we looked at each other in amazement) His vocal performances meant everything to him. He worked his butt off in the studio to get it right. I missed most if it because it was so tedious. “Let’s leave it in!” we cried. Once again, we gave tradition the middle finger and put Martinez to the test as well. At this point, all eyes were glued on Martinez. It became silent. You could hear a pin drop. After about five seconds, a deep sigh came out of Martinez mouth. Then to everyone’s surprise, a slow grin began to spread across his face and then a big smile. “LEAVE IT IN” he said. DUDE!!!!!!!!! To be continued
SONG ANALYSIS - Burn. Pt 5
2:03: Two major events happen A. Larry begins guitar solo B. Martinez makes an arrangement mistake. Now let's look at A. Larry Farkas is one of the greatest men that has ever walked the face of the earth Great big heart and honest as the day is long. But that is for another post Larry is unique in the metal genre. Most lead guitarist are of the Kirk Hamett (Mettallica) school of thought. i.e. - find a scale relative to the key. Play jibberish. Larry stands above the rest because his guitar solos are mini compositions that grace each and every song His solos grab you, take you somewhere, say something to you, and release you back into the song more fired up than before. ~never heard of in thrash~ So let's begin at 2:03 Larry begins the solo with long soaring notes that bring the listener into the musical sky like a bald eagle 2:10 with one long bent note he teases the wah wah pedal to create a voice that pierces the soul. 2:13. Bent note resolves 2:18 High note is thrown in the musical phrase unexpectedly. 2:24 Larry begins "cycling" a blues lick signaling Glen to bring in the double kick on the drums. 2:35 Glen (drums) abandons tradition and leaves me (bassist) to follow Larry's leads (unheard of). On this one, I lock in with Glen who has locked in with Larry. 2:41 repeat guitar/bass/drums as above. 2:47 guitar/bass roles are swapped back to traditional—-Larry or Doug Thieme (I can't remember) begins the intro (a cappella) while the rest of the band rests. 2:51 Sliding bass notes prepare the listener for bass solo. 2:54 Sliding bass note 2:58. Bass solo begins. two choices. 1. Play according to thrash standards. 2. Give the latest thrash standards the "walk on home,boy" Option 2: I jump on the BLUES scale like white on rice. And climb down the scale beginning with a flurry of 32nd notes, that transition into 8th notes, as the band joins me into verse 3. Seamless.. 3:02 3rd verse 3:16 Larry intentionally steps on Martinez vocals with a harmony guitar line. This broadens the musical aspect of the chant considerably. 3:30. All hell is breaking loose as Glen Mancaruso lets loose the double kick drum. Intensity is building 3:37 Larry takes his guitar solo into the upper registers, further exciting the listener. 3:41. Larry climaxes the solo with the highest note that can be played on a Les Paul guitar. Super high E. Screaming. 3:43. Two major things happen: 1. Begin trash can ending. Once again, we veer from tradition. Trash can endings are done with flurries of notes. Even hundreds. WE USE ONE NOTE The D 2. Everyone changes key to D. Larry leads with a smooth sustaining and beautifully singing D note. **Which is another musical no no.** Songs resolve in the same key as the song. Burn is in E. This type of twisted resolution creates another avenue of tension. So by the time we actual resolve on E, (The very last note of the song) It is like an avalanche of musical release Begin trashcan countdown in the key of D 3:43 1 2. 3. 4 1. 2. 3. 4 1. + 2. (1 + 2) = E F E With the middle finger flying high, we end the song with "the beginning" and resolve on the E. *Just like the bass intro. 3:48 FINAL E Satisfaction On the money and very quickly. DUDE!! I repeat: 1. Musical weight 2. Musical sense of humor 3. Disregard for musical boundaries Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
SONG ANALYSIS - Burn ~ final observation
Let’s look at the spiritual side of Burn: Eight different scripture references establish the spiritual foundation for song #2 on the Human Sacrifice album. Two things to remember: 1. God is love. And loves his people 2. God is just. And will eternally punish his enemies. I hear non believers shout this BS, “How can a God of love send people to hell?” Easy one. “Because God is just.” God is fair. God is righteous. That is a good thing for us. God is God. He does exactly what he wants. If God wants to destroy, it is his to destroy. Lucky for us, he offers a way out of destruction by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ Almighty Some may say the current line of ridiculous argument, “That hurts my widdle fee wings”. Beware buttercups, Fire hurts more than feelings ~~~~ (Just ask your Mom when she comes down to the basement to clean your room) When all else fails, people say that God is a racist. (You can shake your head, at this point) Let’s move on. The “snowflake” syndrome was nowhere to be seen 30 years ago. Neither would Vengeance have cared. Laughable. The owners manual tells us that the god of this age (Satan) has blinded the minds of unbelievers so they cannot see the gospel of truth. We shouldn’t be surprised when people believe the ridiculous. So we take the hell fire and brimstone approach —- first verse “The separations coming, the sheep from the goats There are only two sides, no inbetweeners hope. (Matthew 25:31-46) Heaven or hell. One or the other. “BURN SATAN BURN” is reinforced by Revelation 21:10 “And the devil, who decieved them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulpher, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. BURN SATAN BURN Also: Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:15) Even unbelieving buttercups will be thrown into hell. But God loves buttercups too and offers salvation to all. It is Satan who has jacked everyone around. At the proper time, God will light him up. *side note. We (believers) don’t stand a chance against Satan. Only God is strong enough to overpower him. I pity the fool who believes different. Go ahead and say the “magic” words. Good luck homie. In a nutshell: We wrestle not against flesh and blood, so we’ll be glad to say: , “BURN SATAN BURN” “BURN SATAN BURN” “BURN SATAN BURN” “BURN SATAN BURN” E F E
SONG ANALYSIS - Mulligan Stew
Song #3 off the Human Sacrifice album intruduces the musical humor of Doug Thieme. This one is his baby. All the way. Mulligan Stew takes a veer from the norm and slows it down. It was very important to place this one at the #3 slot. It gives a point of reference. A contrast in tempo. This keeps the fast things fast. And the listener always ready for more We knew the musical theory of ear fatigue. And how to write lyrics that touch a nerve. But we will get to that later. When it comes down to it, Mulligan Stew is an artistic masterpiece. The epitome of musical humor, spiritual humor and tongue in cheek. It was such a hoot to play on stage. There are so many facets that it will take some time to effectively analyze. So put your seat belts on and hang with me, homies. This one is going to be fun. to be continued…
SONG ANALYSIS
Mulligan Stew pt. 2 Most songs have an intro of some sort. This one has an intro also. More than one. More than two. More than three. A total of 4 intros to be exact. Why? (you may ask) Because Vengeance was musical rebels. Hold the pickles and hold the lettuce, jacking up songs does not upset us. But I digress, each intro has a special purpose. That purpose was to reveal and introduce to the listener our way of doing things. So put your thinking caps on and let's begin: 0:00 Now right off the bat we throw everyone a curve. Back in the 70's, all rock concerts featured a drum solo. (usually reserved for the middle of the show). But you never heard a drum solo on a studio album. Led Zeppelin is an exception. I can't remember any song that began with a drum solo. Ever. But we needed Glen to record the drum solo intro for a few reasons: 1. To let our musical freak flag fly high and mighty 2. Introduce the "tempo drag" 3. Introduce the special studio production for this one song. 4. Show off Glen's drumming skills. In a previous post, I stated that we did not rely on Glen to keep us in time. Not that he did not have good timing because Glen was a freaking metronome (excellent timing). So we need to back up and talk about Glen for a few. Glen Mancaruso is the perfect example of "When God calls, God provides". Glen thought he was a temporary drummer for Vengeance. In fact he told us, "Look, I am only playing drums for you until you find a drummer. And it ain't me." NOT It was him. No other drummer on the face of the earth had enough power to satisfy our needs. He hit so hard. Devestating. But we all knew that he needed speed. Not crystal or crank, but the ability to play so fast that it will make your heart flutter. Glen is a big dude. Solid stick of firewood. Not really designed for speed. But when you have a heart of gold (he did) and me, Doug and Larry whipping him with a rubber hose — it did not take long before Glen could nail any song that we threw at him. We never cut Glen any slack. As a result, he stepped up to the plate and knocked a home run. Every show. Now that we have established the fact that Glen is a red hot smoking drummer, let me clarify why I was given the role of visual timekeeper on stage. 1. I was in front of the amps and could hear perfectly. Glen was behind the amps and heard a roar. 2. I had one eye on Larry at all times. Glen could not see anything but a wad of drums and cymbals. 3. The heat on stage was excruciating behind the kit. Glen sweated buckets and the speed of the songs and muscular fatigue was so intense that the brain would go into la la land. 4. My brain stays in la la land. Business as usual *All right big dawgs, I need everyone to go back and listen to this drum solo again because you will need the refresher to comprehend to be continued
SONG ANALYSIS
Mulligan Stew pt. 3 0:00 FIRST intro: Notice how the drums sound big and wide and full. Our first production mix was rejected by the record company. Ron Goudy (sounds like Howdy) was hired to produce a new mix. I like what he did with Mulligan Stew. And we are displaying it to the full by throwing the drums in your face. 0:06. Begin tempo drag. Glen introduces a musical technique that slows down the tempo in a linear fashion. Like stepping on the brakes coming to a red light. Slowing down evenly. I will point this out each time we run across it. 0:09 End tempo drag 0:10 SECOND intro: We needed to establish a chunky line to keep it in metal territory —Count it with me— 1 + 2 + 3 ta ta 4 + count by saying: one and two and three ta ta four and 0:13 end chunks 0:14 THIRD intro: Introduces the main riff using a flange effect by Ron Goudy (unusual tone for us because we loved it dry). -effects free- We also changed tempo at this point and stayed with it for the rest of the song 0:20 FOURTH intro: This is our fun moment. One bent note played in a stuttered fashion, by one guitar acapella, in tune and sounding good. In concert was a different story. This part always made us laugh on stage because Doug would join in with Larry to play this bent note. And it was anything but accurate. It fact, it was downright horrible. Played that way for a reason . Meant to be. THE FEELING YOU GET RIGHT BEFORE HURLING BEGINS. Woohoo!! to be continued..
SONG ANALYSIS
Mulligan Stew pt. 4 0:36 Begin first verse with main riff We introduce the "hammer on". This is a guitar technique which gives a unique sound. The second note of the phrase (F#) is hammered on from the first note (E). This creates a smooth groove which repeats itself a couple more times by riffs end. On the fifth note, I slide the note down toward the headstock to embellish the groove bordering on the funky. Doug and Larry do not slide the note to balance things out and keep it flowing. 0:50 We throw in another musical "no no". Larry begins his lead guitar solo stepping on Martinez during the verse. But Larry really does not step on Martinez. Larry embellishes and supports the melody. Not only the melody, but the lyrics themselves. 1:03 Larry continues solo during the refrain 1:09 ad nauseum 1:12 Larry continues solo embellishments 1:35 enter the vocal line, "When you look for what you want, you know that she'll be gone" 1:39 Larry Farkas main solo begins by responding to the previous vocal line with 6 cries from his guitar. Crying out like an adult because "he looked for her and she was gone." 1:46 Larry coaxes his guitar from sounding like an adult weeping into sounding exactly like a baby crying, " Wah Wah, Wah Wah!!" 1:47 baby stops crying 1:53 Life must go on... So Larry takes his solo into the stratosphere. At this point, I begin outlining your basic power chord (the one, the five and the octave) and throw in a small melodic lick to bring the song into melody and harmony territory. 2:07. I begin hammering the bass with a viscious downpicking technique. In fact we are all wide open and beating our instruments like a rented mule. 2:13 solo ends 2:28. Big Fat Power Chords 2:30 MAGNIFICENT PRODUCTION (Ten seconds- wow!) 2:40 production fades into status quo 2:54 begin outro: Completely off the wall, has nothing in common with the rest of the song musically. A bit sadistic because it sets up the toilet flush. But it is our way of reflecting the mental clarity and physical relief experienced after puking your guts out. 2:57 TOILET FLUSHES (The End) to be continued..
SONG ANALYSIS
Mulligan Stew pt. 5 Two scriptures are the spiritual foundation for Mulligan Stew. 1. Matthew 7:13 2. Matthew 9:13 Let's look at Matthew 7:13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction and many enter through it." In biblical times, ancient cities were surrounded with walls and entered through gates. Some of those, connected with wide avenues to the city, were broad and and admitted a butt load of people; others gates, for more private purposes, were narrow and few would be seen entering them. Christ is the gate into heaven. It is narrow. It is not the 10 lane highway that most homies travel. People find themselves going through the wide gate easily and without effort and without thought. Truth is that the dude in Mulligan Stew was ultimately looking for what the narrow gate offers - peace, satisfaction, fullfilment, enjoyment and purpose. But he was going through the wide gate and everything backfired and blew up in his face. Poor homie.. Doug Thieme wrote this song in a way that everyone can relate to. Unless you are Ted Nugent, we have all been there and done that with excessive partying ending up in a fetal position on the bathroom floor. But let's dig deeper—- Contrary to popular opinion, Mulligan Stew is not an anti-drug, anti-alcohol and anti-party song. It is an anti-wide gate song. You can substitute buds and beer with growth stock mutual funds. A thin young blond can be substituted with power and control. i.e. fill in the blank. It all leads to destruction. Mulligan Stew is a humorous illustration of this exact point ——- "Friday night is coming and you're saving all your money cause you need to buy some buds and some beer. You wont be doing nothing cause you spent up all your money so you smoke until you choke and then you drink your beer alone. You drank up all your beer and you're feeling fine. You look up at the clock, it's only quater to nine so you woof a bunch of munchies cause there's nothing to do. But when you find that they don't mix, your chuncking mulligan stew." All dude wants is to feel good and have a good time with people. But because he is traveling on the wide road he ends up with no money, isolated and spewing chow in his bathroom toilet. "Are we having fun yet?" Dudes next attempt is even worse. His goal is to feel good, be prosperous and have money and to satisfy his sexual needs. Once again, he is on the wide road and entering the broad gate. "Now you're moving up smoking major league baseballs. Your price is getting higher each hit. The night keeps getting longer, a couple hits will make you stronger so ya smoke another 8-ball and get deeper in debt. You've got this young blonde whose as thin as a dime. She's inhaling all your blow and leaving nothing behind. As your debt keeps coming like the rising sun, when you look for what you want you know that she'll be gone. (you got it). With his goal of fun, riches and sexual pleasure, what does homie ultimately end up with? *A huge debt to drug dealers and a serious case of the blue balls to be continued
SONG ANALYSIS
Mulligan Stew final episode Once again, two scriptures are the spiritual foundation for Mulligan Stew. 1. Matthew 7:13 2. Matthew 9:13 Let's look at Matthew 9:13 "But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinners.' This is not a declaration from God that he was opposed to sacrifice. It is a Hebrew mode of speaking and means: "I am more pleased with acts of kindness and benevolence than with a mere external compliance with the duties of religion." —— (i.e. "I don't smoke, drink or chew; or go with girls who do. I am a righteous son of a buck!") NO ONE is righteous by nature. Our owners manual tells us that "There is none righteous, not even one." Christ has come for sinners, not those "pretending" to be righteous. Those folks are in deep dookey. Thinking that their self proclaimed good works get them to heaven, they are sadly mistaken. There is only one way to live life to the fullest. And it is a win - win situation. "Trust in, rely on and cling to Jesus Christ Almighty." And that my friends is Mulligan Stew in a nutshell. Peace out and Merry Christmas!
SONG ANALYSIS
Recieve Him Larry Farkas was the original writer to this Vengeance masterpiece called "Recieve Him" Once again, we go to the extreme, and give the musical world of thrash the big middle finger. Not just thrash but to the whole world of music. A 6 second song Consisting of two bars and an E. The post picture has my handwritten musical notation (bass clef) on display. Refer to it as needed. This is how you play the song. Count: 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and Now let's silence the last (+3+4+) hence: 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and 1 and 2 Now let's silence the (3+) hence: 1 and 2 and 3 4 and 1 and 2 Sounds like this: E E E E F E E E E E Recieve Him! E 10 quick notes followed by the acapella vocal line "Recieve Him" Finished off with a single E note (free time) This thing is played so fast that no analog metronome could get close. ~Around 800 bpm~ In concert, we would throw this song in real quick and surprise everyone. Comic relief in a thrash show! Another middle finger to the thrash traditionalists. (We can't help ourselves..) to be continued
SONG ANALYSIS
Receive Him pt 2 Let's look at the spiritual side of "Receive Him" shall we. First scripture reference is John 1:12 "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God —". John 1:12 NIV Before Vengeance, I played a few shows with Holy Right, a glam band from Riverside, CA. This scripture was the central focus of the band. "It's your Holy Right" was a crowd favorite. So I love this verse. The great mass of people and especially the scribes and Pharisees rejected Jesus. A few in his lifetime received him and MANY more after his death. To receive means to believe. And God gives the believer the right to be called sons of God. From this verse we learn 1. To be a child of God is a privilege. Way bigger than to be the child of any dude on the planet. Whether rich or famous or powerful, it pails in comparison. 2. God gave them this privilege. No way could you earn it. No shape or fashion. 3. This privilege is only given to those who believe in Jesus Christ Almighty. All others are toast. Burnt toast, a la crispy critters. to be continued
SONG ANALYSIS
Receive Him - final episode Second scriptural reference is John 3:36 "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on them. John 3:36 NIV" Believers have a recovery from spiritual death here on earth which will result in eternal life in heaven. Life begins here, but in heaven life is expanded, matured, purified and made uber glorious. Non believers never enjoy true life or happiness here in this world or the next. They are under the wrath of God or under condemnation. This verse implies also that it will continue to remain on him. God hates sin and it's terrible effect. No way of escaping the wrath of God but by the Lord Jesus Christ. Most choose to remain in this state rather than to come to Jesus who bore our sins on the cross and is willing to bless us with peace, purity and the joy of eternal life. Freaky deaky but that is how it is.
SONG ANALYSIS
I Love Hating Evil This one means a lot to me. It goes way down into my soul. Everything about it is hardcore. But before we begin, everyone must understand the timeframe. In the early stage, Vengeance was Doug Thieme and Roger Dale Martin. Just two people. And for a very long time. About one year. And we did not jam much. We were going to school and took just one class. Speed Metal 101 We constantly listened to other bands. We attended every show featuring thrash bands. Listening day in and day out to nothing but hardcore speed metal. That builds inside of you. And has got to come out. We needed band members and started looking. Seek and ye shall find. And we found First things first, Doug and I threw butchered attempts at Glen Roger's songs to Larry and Glen Mancaruso. It came out as Vengeance. So now it was time. Time for Doug to let the creative juices flow and write his first tune for the band. And he hit a home run. Mmm mm I loved playing this one in concert. It was brutal. Hard and fast—. Extremely fast. And the breakdown was a breakdown. Even before anyone had ever heard of a breakdown. Heavy as all get out. *I used this song to learn rythmic momentum for doing windmills. *I used this song to express the tender and melodic side of me. *I used this song to express the wild stallion side of me. *I used this song to lead others into worship at a Vengeance concert. This song made people smile. Which made me smile. I love this song So let's take a peak inside the musical and spiritual world of "I Love Hating Evil" Next time homies
SONG ANALYSIS
I Love Hating Evil pt. 2 0:04 Doug begins this one with a clean and sparkling guitar tone. B major chord. Very soft and easy. *It has been rumored that Vengeance was never quite sure of this sweet melodic intro. That we were undecided about putting it on the album. Not true. The Human Sacrifice album needed it. We knew the theory of musical relativity. i.e. If every song is fast it gets boring. After a while is doesn't sound fast at all. Just monotonous. This soft intro creates a refreshment of the senses. Like cleansing the pallet. 0:12 using the tips of my fingers to soften the attack, I join in with the bass using a medium high B note. I begin outlining the chord progression with diamonds (sustained root notes) 0:25 Glen jumps on board by following my bass line with drum licks. I begin accenting off beats. Glen is on top of it like white on rice. We are synced up big time. 0:39 Glen abandons all drums except the kick. Every new note from my bass — he kicks with the bass drum. That's it. He did that to set up the build. 0:51 Glen leads the whole band in with a very nice groove. We begin to slowly build intensity. 1:07. We climax the build and begin a slow boil. Semi trash can to signal the end of intro. 1:21. Glen ends the intro with a single kick from the bass drum. to be continued
SONG ANALYSIS
I Love Hating Evil pt. 3 1:21. Glen ends the intro with a single kick from the bass drum. 1:21. Doug begins main riff Let's look at the first part of the main riff. In the past I have explained the incredible tempo or speed of songs using bpm (beats per minute). Was met with argumentative comments so let's analyze from a different perspective. One that we can all agree on and understand. 29 notes. Played in 2 seconds 2.21 to be exact. My approach was hardcore . Using a Jim Dunlop Jazz III pick, I resolved to pick all 29 notes in the alloted time frame. And I could do it. Without missing a single note. "How?" you may ask. About 2 hours a day of personal practice (morning) and 3 hours a day of practice (night) with the band. Pros: it sounded right. It would throw your heart and lungs into hyper mode. Cons: It would fatigue your right hand and forearm. Super con: It would blow speakers on a regular basis. Bass speakers are designed to reproduce low end. But playing so fast would make the cone travel so quickly that it would tear loose from rhe voice coil. But I found out the solution to the problem——- use tube amps exclusively. They softened the attack. My original amp was a Galien-Krueger transistor. It was very popular at the time. Used by countless bass players including Jim Laverde of Barren Cross and Duff McKagen of Guns n Roses. But it blew speakers. At the request of Doug and Larry and Glen, I completely revamped my bass gear And this became my signature sound on stage and in the studio Vintage 1971 Ampeg SVT head 300 watts Paired with not one, but two 8x10 cabinets. Which means 16 speakers total. In concert, the roadies put one cabinet on each side of the stage. The audience heard the bass guitar from three positions — stage right, stage left and front of house (PA system). That was enough bass to lay the foundation for Doug and Larry's sonic attack. And it satisfied every bass freak in the audience. And I was always the freakiest. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED to be continued,,,
SONG ANALYSIS
I Love Hating Evil pt. 4 We've got to dig deeper. It is a goldmine of musical appreciation if you grasp what is happening. Put on your thinking caps my brothers and sisters. Let's focus on this pattern: 1 e + u 2 e + u 3 e + u 4 e + u 1 e + u 2 e + u 3 e + u 4 That is the first part of the lick. Every character is a note. Count them. 29 It is counted aloud like this: One ee and uh Two ee and uh Three ee and uh Four ee and uh Every character is a 1/16 note. The Human Sacrifice album is famous for being hardcore thrash. And uniquely having a groove. Here is one of the reasons why. 1. On the pattern above, we placed a D note on the 1 and the 3. Using a technique called a "hammer on" our next note is an E. In fact the rest of them are E. It makes a fluttering sound. And creates a groove. Because there is no way you could groove without it. (29 notes crammed into 2 seconds) Listen for 4 flutters. That's the groove. Do your homework homies. Listen closely. If you can't hear it, you will feel it anyway. Thats the magic. Voted #1 Christian metal album of all time by Heaven's Metal magazine. "Human Sacrifice" to be continued
SONG ANALYSIS
I Love Hating Evil pt. 5 Boppin' the blues. Never before has a band "bucked the system" more than Vengeance did. Speed metal or thrash was the epitome of an anti-blues sentiment. Punk rock was formed as a protest against it. Punk rock's first cousin-thrash avoided it like the plague. So the album Human Sacrifice did the impossible. Thrash + blues = yummy goodness Lets expound shall we? 1:21 Doug begins main riff 1:25. Blues riff comes out of left field and shatters the speed and momentum of the main theme. *only 1/2 of the riff is played * this served as a "teaser" and created a subconscious desire for resolution 1:26 I throw in two notes on the bass B then E *These two notes serve as a dramatic intro to set up the first verse. 1:30 I begin the fun and completely establish the role of blues by playing the half riff note for note. 1:31 Martinez begins vocal assault *first verse begins and establishes the marriage of thrash and blues. 1:50 - 1:54. Full blues riff is Introduced in all of it's glory *by completing the riff, the listener is subconsciously satisfied and ready for the next verse. to be continued.. ****** I have been pondering making a video showing how I play this riff on bass and the hysterical speed of it all. Would you guys like to see that? Or would it throw everything off?
SONG ANALYSIS
I Love Hating Evil pt. 6
SONG ANALYSIS
I Love Hating Evil pt. 7 1:31 Martinez begins vocal assault as we cruise through 2 verses. 2:13 Begin full blues riff to signal the end of second verse and to usher in the breakdown. 2:17 Martinez ends the verse with "Why I love hating evil" 2:20 My fingers slide down the neck and lead the band into the breakdown. One bar counted like this: 1 2 3 4 Now lets add an eighth note between the 3 and the 4. Counted: One Two Three and Four. This one is slow and easy to count. Just listen for Glen's big bass drum. He kicks at every beat even the "and" (1/8 note) 2:28. Full band comes in 2:34 Larry begins lead guitar solo drenched in the blues using the wah wah pedal as lone effect. 2:42 Larry abandons the blues and goes into pain and agony mode. Using a Les Paul guitar with no whammy, he coaxes screams and moans from one guitar using one wah wah pedal and one amp. That's it. Take that you wall of effects pedal freaks 2:42 moan 2:49 oooh. 2:51 groan 3:02. Another middle finger flies into the face of traditional thrash. Martinez abandons the gutteral and goes clean with natural speaking. The musical production on said vocals takes a turn and drives through the "clean effect" corridor. 3:14 Martinez throws a vocal "tempo drag" in the listeners ear. Presenting a musical technique that will be demonstrated at various points in the album. 3:15. Larry ends the breakdown with a single sustaining note. Chocked and manipulated with vibrato; this note is a total of 12 seconds long. Dude! 3:27 Sustaining note decays and Doug leads us into the final verse with 29 notes in two seconds. 3:30. Full band comes in on the blues half riff. 3:53 song ends with the band hammering down on the full blues lick. The listener has been taken in a roller coaster ride and satisfaction guaranteed by resolution of verses solo and breakdown via completing the glorious blues lick. Ahhhh! to be continued
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I Love Hating Evil pt. 8 Let's dig deep into the spiritual side of this one. There are 3 different scriptual references. Proverbs 8:13 Acts 9:2 and Jude 23. What is fascinating about this song is that Martinez wrote the lyrics. Spreading the net for his own feet. Digging a pit for himself to fall into. What we have is 3 verses. Each verse has 2 paragraphs. Paragraph 1: "I know it's forthright, to tell you now this way. Just what the bible says and leave no shadows gray. For all the time I'm here I will and pull not back a punch. I know that deep inside you, you've got this nagging hunch"******* (Interpretation) = all my life, I will tell you what the bible says without holding anything back. And I know that you are wondering if Vengeance is really a christian band and are the members really true Christians. Paragraph 2: "Whether we're for real and if we mean what we say. Let me put to rest your wonder. We stand behind the Way and if you don't believe it, just come talk to us yourself. You ask, "Just what you doin?" Calling you from the fire ********** (Interpretation) = Vengeance believes in the Way. The Way was a name for Christianity It was used at least eight times in the book of acts. In fact, in John 14:6, Jesus called himself , "the way". Then the listener is invited to : 'Come talk to us and we will "call you from the fire" '. Vengeance sole purpose is to snatch you from an eternity in hell. (the fire)**** I want everyone to think about this lyric penned by Martinez in the song Human Sacrifice.—— "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me". Paragraph 3: The Bible teaches when you're saved you have new love and hates. If you do not then, YOU MAY WELL NOT BE SAVED. Cause if you turn to Proverbs chapter eight and verse thirteen there will be no question here as to what I mean.********* (Interpretation) = If you do not have a change of heart; you are a poser. Paragraph 4: "There is a certain notion that soon you will get. Hating the hell out of evil and loving people yet. And when you understand this, you will see what we're about. About pride and arrogance, soon you will have no doubt why I love hating evil" (Interpretation) = if you do not have a change of heart; you are a poser. Just look at me - "I love hating evil"- I am the real deal. Paragraph 5: "Evil pulls and tugs at you and says if you have more then you'll be satisfied; a lie to the core. It'll only rip you off then it'll make you pay. I've seen it all before, and man, it hurts so many." (Interpretation) = just like heroin, evil is addictive and will destroy you. Paragraph 6: "So if you claim to be a Christian, show it with your life. And do not advocate rebellion, filth, and lies." (Interpretation) = "You will know them by their fruit. Watch my future actions to reveal my true identity. ***************** Martinez salvation is between him and the Lord. Not my place to judge. I am not God. But the bible tells us to be "fruit inspectors". Look at the tree, look at the fruit. Let's end this analysis of I love hating evil with Luke 9:49-50: **Master," said John, "we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us." "Do not stop him," Jesus said, "for whoever is not against you is for you."**
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I Love Hating Evil final episode It is crucial to expound on Jude 22-23 before we move to the next track: "Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear —hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh." Jude 22-23 NIV. This is all about EVANGELISM with the focus on adapting ourselves wisely to the individuals personality and character. The tender, the delicate should be approached differently than the rough, hardened and hardcore. Jesus showed us this constantly in all his preaching. Let's disect, shall we? -Be merciful to those who doubt- This is not intended that we are not to have a merciful attitude to everyone but that we should have a special approach to a certain class of people. i.e. the timid, the gentle and sensitive people should be shown tender affection and kindness. Appealing to them with a "Jesus loves you" mentality. —save others— Another class of people. These folks need a more bold, in your face approach. —by snatching them from the fire— as you would snatch a toddler from sticking his hand into a hot oven or falling into a swimming pool. You are not gentle , you grab! —-to others show mercy mixed with fear— That is; use a method to produce fear (hellfire and brimstone) This method is often chastised and ridiculed by today's society. The purely evil class of people will laugh at "Jesus love you". Let's get real here. You know it's true. —hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh— Back in the day, if someone had the plague or leprosy, nobody came close to them much less actually touched their clothes. It would be like wearing the mask of someone who tested positive for covid. This class of people will pull you down into the mud if you are not very careful. While we want to save the sinner, the sin is appealing and tempting. Dont get too close. Touch their clothes and you are toast. In other words, if a well meaning brother stands up and declares, "God is calling me to minister to the young and beautiful prostitutes in Las Vegas. I will set up a private bible study in a hotel room with a woman that God lays on my heart." Ha! *GOOD LUCK HOMIE* Jude teaches us to use different strokes for different folks. Very important for us to understand this principle. This understanding may have prevented the comment tension that occurred in pt 8. But you never know. I love all you Christian metal freaks. Peace out and I will see you all with a new analysis soon. RDM
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White Throne This one is very close to my heart. And for a lot of reasons: 1. I could not get the timing right when Mr. Rogers showed the verses to me and Doug. Very very frustrating. His changes were abrupt and came in odd places (at least for me) 2. This is the first song that Vengeance put together as a group. 3. Doug and I did the best we could at trying to remember the song. He did not know how to play it either (I would have hounded him night and day to show me) 4. It gave Vengeance a starting point in group songwriting. We honed our skill on a tune that was as foreign to the other guys as it was to me. 5. It was fast 6. Real fast 7. The intro had a very mysterious origin. Even Mr. Rogers said he nicked it from a movie called "Phantasm" It was a very popular riff. Nineteen year old Yngwie Malmsteen was in a band called Alcatrazz. They had a song called "Kree Nakoori". Same exact intro as Phantasm and White Throne. We kept the lead guitar intro the same but changed the background music to a more dramatic chord progression. 8. This was my favorite song to open the show with. And we used it 95% of the time. 9. To this day, I still get the chills when I hear the intro. 10. To this day, my heart beats faster when I hear the intro. 11. To this day, my mind goes back to that same feeling of excitement, the feeling of victory, the feeling of satisfaction, and the feeling of a dream come true, the feeling of pure joy to be taken from Dog Tick, Oklahoma to the vibrant and thriving metal scene in Los Angeles and to many many stages all across the continental USA 12. I finally learned the freakin' song. to be continued
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White Throne pt. 2 Vengeance ability to tear your head off in concert is legendary. The intro to White Throne has hidden secrets that reveal why. To understand the intro, is to understand the inner workings and genius of Vengeance Rising. We must study music theory and application on the fretboards of Larry Farkas, Doug Thieme and Roger Dale Martin. So today's post is all about music theory. We will apply this knowledge to the bass in video format in the next post. So let's begin, shall we? 0:00 Larry Farkas begins intro with lead guitar. This was recorded with a Gibson Les Paul (thick and fat tone) The riff is contained in two measures. 4/4 timing. Counted like this: 1 2 3 4 Next we add 1/8 notes to the equation Counted like this: 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and Now here is where it gets bizarre. Almost all riffs (99%) begin on the "1" This intro begins with "and" This "and" is used from measure one. Measure one has 8 notes. All are dead silent but one. The one audible note is the "and" that we begin the riff with. *refer to video demonstration next post for full understanding. All the notes in the riff fall into the E aeolian mode (natural minor scale) and sound good together. The "and" throws a huge monkey wrench into the situation. It sounds like dookey on a stick. But that is the magic Once again — if we understand this very tense musical relationship, we understand the power and magnitude of Vengeance Rising. Don't miss next weeks eye opening video! to be continued
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White Throne pt. 3
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White Throne pt. 4 We need to go straight into the spiritual analysis for a few reasons. Lyrically, the song is a chorus and two verses. But with a whopping 48 scripture references. Verses and chorus will not be analyzed. Let's focus on our scriptual reference Revelation 20: 11-15. Verse 11: "Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them." This verse begins the description of the final judgment of mankind. The first thing we see is that the throne was "great" or high and elevated. "white" means that it was splendid or shining. In the book of Matthew it is called "the throne of his glory". "Him who was seated on it" means the Lord Jesus Christ, the final Judge of mankind. "The original word for "presence" may be used strictly for his face - shining like the sun. Elsewhere we read, "his countenance was like the sun shining in his strength" "The earth and the heavens fled from his presence". Just like how the stars seem to disappear with the rising of the sun, when the Son of God gets on the throne to judge the world, the earth and all the worlds and entities will seem to vanish. Everyone and everything will shrink back in awe and reverence. "And there was no place for them". They ran entirely away because there is nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. Even nature itself cannot begin to compete against the majesty and dominion of Jesus Christ. Much less little man. to be continued..
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White Throne final analysis VERSE 12 - "And I saw the dead,small and great,stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those books, according to their works." *And I saw the dead, small and great* —In other languages the idea could be expressed by saying, "the young and the old, the rich and the poor, the male and the female, the metal head and the jazz freak, etc In other words, ALL the dead were there. Everyone who has ever lived and died. *stand before God* — meaning they appear before the throne to be judged. The word "God" here refers to the final Judge on the throne. Without a shadow of doubt, it is the Lord Jesus Christ. *and the books were opened* — the books containing all that people have done. Everything is recorded. Every word spoken, every action. It will be on display at the final trial. Your life and my life 100% written down and recorded. *and another book was opened, which is the book of life* — the book containing the record of all who will enter into heaven. So judgement will proceed "on the deeds (what you have done). But in regard to our christian brothers and sisters whose names are written in the book of life, grace and mercy will be given. *and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books.* — the final judgment will be determined by what is written in the books. Not according to skin color, rank, financial status or profession, or any such bull****, but according to what that person has said and done according to the record. *according to their works* — if your name was in the book of life, rewards for service to the kingdom of God will be allotted. ============================ VERSE 13 "And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works." *And the sea gave up the dead which were in it.* — if we add up everyone who drowned in the great flood, and in shipwrecks, navy battles, peacefully dying at sea (sailors) and merchant ships, we have a huge amount enough for God to list here as substantial. *and death and hell delivered up the dead that was in them* — ALL the dead came. In this world and the invisible world. "death and hell" have dominion over the dead, but now are delivering up and surrendering those held under bondage. *and they were judged - EVERYONE! ============================ "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." Revelation 20:14-15 *and death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.* — death and hell are personified. The idea is that death (separation of soul and body) with all the pain that comes with it, will exist no more. There will still be death, but a "second death". It is different because the first death is a separation from soul and body, the second death is a state of continual agony somewhat like the first death's intensity but not the same kind. *This is the second death.*. — the condemnation, final death and ruin of those not found written in the book of life. Death is penalty of law, has pain, cuts off from hope, friends and family. There is no evidence that your soul will ever cease to exist. Continual torment or continual bliss. Take your pick *and whosoever" — all persons, of all ages and walks of life. *was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.* — they will be doomed; which is well represented by lingering in a sea of fire forever and ever. Dude ^^^Wrap up^^^ There is only one way out of pure D hell. THAT YOUR NAME IS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF LIFE It is all about grace and mercy. We aint jack, homie. And our "good works" and so called righteous living suck a big green pickle. Watch what you say and do; We will be judged. The most important question of all time is this: Is your name written in the book of life? Well, is it?
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Salvation Well, well , well. Here comes another middle finger flying in the face of traditional thrash. "Why?" You may ask. 1. Total song length = 12 seconds 2. Drenched in the blues 3. We end with a "beginning" The song length is self explanatory. But let's expound on the blues element shall we? One of the main elements in blues is a strategy called "call and response". The vocalist will call out to the band with a vocal line. The band answers back with a melodic line. Repeat till satisfied. The song Salvation never strays from this pattern: 0:00 Martinez calls out to the band, ". Today is the day of salvation." 0:01 The band responds with fast punk riff. 0:03 "Salvation" 0:04 "punk riff" 0:05 "Salvation " 0:06 "punk riff" 0:07 "Salvation 0:08 "punk riff" 0:09 Now here is another middle finger in your face. Let's rewind to the intro to White Throne. How do I lead the band IN? With a "1,2,3,4" How does Martinez lead the band OUT? With a "1.2,3,4" 0:010 "punk riff" But wait! Theres more Another blues staple is called "ghost notes". A ghost note is an ultra quick note (1/32) that sits on top of a main note in the phrase. It is so quick that the ghost note is felt more than heard. Ahhhhh. The bliss of blues in a thrash metal context. Should I illustrate these concepts and musical theories with a video? Please let me know or else we will go straight into the spiritual analysis. to be continued
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Salvation pt. 2
White Throne pt. 3
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Salvation final episode Twenty eight scriptures are the spiritual foundation for the tune Salvation. Today we are going to focus on John 6: 28-29. "Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires? Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." After Jesus fed the five thousand, he split (left everyone) and headed up a mountain by himself. The disciples jumped in a boat and sailed for Capernaum. They ran into bad weather and the sea became rough and dangerous. Jesus left the mountain and came to them walking on the water, got in their boat and everyone arrived in Capernaum safe and sound. The next day the five thousand fed crowd were searching for Jesus and some of them took off in boats to look for him in Capernaum. When they found him they asked, "When did you get here?" Jesus answered, " You are lookimg for me because you munched on grindage and now you are hungry again" (my paraphrase) Then they basically asked him what they had to do to go to heaven. Jesus said, " Trust in, rely on and cling to me" (believe) That is it. Let's wrap it up shall we? "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 Sounds good to me..
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From the Dead This one is pure D genius written by Larry Farkas. And only Larry can play this correctly. Hetfield maybe. Just maybe. Because the right picking hand is just smoking. Only those with fast twitch muscle fibers in their forearm and hands can pull it off. And no way could I play it on bass. But even if I could, I wouldn't. This song is Vengeance to the core. So quick, so many off beats. There is one point where we hammer down so hard and at such mind boggling speed that it would hypnotize me on stage to pull it off. So I would use the windmill and my hair would create a full body momentum. I would relax my iron fisted technique and let it flow It is going to take a long time to do this one justice. And I've got to go back to the woodshed and get my chops back up to Vengeance level. It is such a powerhouse spiritually too. Deserving of special attention. I love you homies. this one is going to be fun
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From the Dead pt. 2 0:00 The whole band quickly jumps on the E note with a single hit. This one note establishes the key of the song "E" 0:00 Larry establishes the insane speed lick all by himself. The rest of the band is dead silent. This helps the listener to comprehend what is happening face to face (so to speak) *12 notes in 1 1/2 seconds. (1.46 seconds to be exact) And these are not straight eighth notes either because triplets are added. We count like this: 1 and 2 and 3 ta ta 4 and 1 ta ta 0:0146: full band jumps in on the F note. In the E major scale, this F note is called a minor 2nd. It is dissonant sounding just like the major 7th (previous post) This F note also puts us in a different mode called "phrygian" The phrygian mode is very dark sounding. Mainly because there is so many notes that are flattened. It is eerie and unstable. Playing a phrygian scale up the ladder and back down makes you want to eat Chinese food. (It sounds oriental) Together, the band hits the F again followed by the notes F, E, D, E *Larry plays 12 notes in 1:46 seconds *Full band plays 5 notes in series- G, G, F, E, F *Larry plays 12 notes in 1:46 seconds *Full band plays 9 notes in series - F, F,E,D,E,D,C,B,D This is the full lick in all its phrygian glory. 0:09 Full band joins in with Larry playing a modified version of his 12 note flurry. Larry never deviates from the 12 note pattern and keeps blasting to be continued
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I have not abandoned the song analysis but must take a temporary leave of absence. All my time is being spent writing and recording for a new band and new album. Roxx Records has jumped on it like white on rice. Expect an official announcement sometime this week. Luv ya homies. RDM
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From the Dead pt 4 It has been 3 months since my leave of absence from the song analysis of Vengeance Human Sacrifice album. All focus was on writing and recording of Reign of Glory's debut album "All Will Bow" Whew! Finally made it. Contrary to popular opinion recording an album is not all champagne, caviar and mocha choka ala ya ya's. Blood sweat and tears is more like it First off, you've got Robyn Kyle Basauri who is chomping at the bit. Ready to spring forth out of retirement and un leash 25 years of pent up musical backlog. Songs of pain and victory. Triumph and failure. Life as we know it. His voice and vocal chords have been on a training program. Nutrition plays a huge part. Vocal exercises each and every day. Clean living equals clean vocals. If one part of the body suffers, all will suffer. Dude. I never would have dreamed that a vocalist can improve with age. But God is good and all things are possible when it comes to glorifying our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Then there is Nick Layton. Musician extraordinaire. No one compares. Melody, power and mind boggling guitar pyrotechnics. I've heard and seen them all. Nick rules and is far above the rest. Prove me wrong, homies. No can do. And I had to approach perfection to satisfy Nick's musical mastery. I am talking about working your fingers to the bone here. The rhythm section of bass guitar and drums is the backbone of any recording. I have played shows with Jim Chaffin of the Crucified. Jim subbed for Mancaruso in a pinch for Vengeance a couple of times. But I have never worked with him in the recording studio. I knew how good he is. He takes no prisoners. My goal was to lock in with Jim. Become one unit musically. To lay a solid foundation for harmony, melody and pure raw power. I busted my chops these last three months. We all did. I am very proud of the outcome. Quite frankly, I am exhausted. But it feels good. Real good. Tomorrow morning @ 8:00 am PST Roxx Records will release the first single entitled "Welcome to Reality" Put your seatbelts on my brothers and sisters. And let's take off on a brand new musical roller coaster. Woohoo! Cya tomorrow!!!
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